There’s certainly many ties to U-M at the Olympics once again this year.  Jack Johnson is on the ice, cameras are constantly cutting to Michael Phelps in the stands, and the male portion of the U-M student ice dancing teams even were shown flashing an ‘All In’ towel in a photo shown on NBC last night.  While I’m not sure if Fielding Yost ever made it to an Olympic winter games, I had to repost this photo of the West Virginian working on his curling skills in 1940: Michigan’s Grand Old Man looks a bit like he misses the gridiron. As an aside, I’ve noticed a few folks on the Twitter note they are getting sucked into the curling.  I was on a plane this weekend with a choice of many shows/movies/tv channels and went with the USA vs. Great Britain curling match.  I couldn’t look away.  I also dig watching the short track and I give mucho props to Ohno, but I have one concern: What’s really the difference between the 1000 and 1500 meter short track events?  To me, they just cut to the chase a tad quicker in the 1000 meter, right?   Are they really separate disciplines worthy of separate medals?

Wallpaper via jackjohnson3.com – JJ official site Heard locally on WDFN 1130AM in Detroit, Jim Rome had a solid visitor today.  In the wake of the epic win for USA hockey over Canada, former U-M defenseman Jack Johnson rapped with Rome this afternoon for a few words on the win and much more.   He did a nice job.  No Michigan mentions but he did note that he knew a lot of the USA players from the Ann Arbor development program.  Audio (I missed the first 30 seconds or so): [display_podcast] .

Via AnnArbor.com, Rich Rodriguez:

Folks, don’t forget about the 1st Annual Victors Rally to be held Sunday at the Michigan Theater.  Word on the street is that they are efforting Lloyd Carr which would be cool.  Need details?  Details: When: Sunday, February 21, 2010, 1:00 – 3:30 p.m. Where: Michigan Theater 603 East Liberty St. Ann Arbor, MI What: Football Film Highlights, Throughout the Years Guest Speakers Autographs & Pictures with Players Pep Band Souvenirs Maybe a Surprise (or two)? Who: Master of Ceremonies: Rick Leach Other Speakers to include Coach Rich Rodriguez, Former Players, Former & Current Coaches … and Interested Parties …and Greg from MVictors [ok, I added that] Why: A chance to show appreciation for the Wolverines, AND the fans. Why II: Like our great country, the greatest college football program is going through some uncharacteristically tough times. Both will come back … and come back strong as ever! Why III: It is about what truly matters. It is about the kids who love to play the game, work hard and try their best to win … for themselves, and for all of the fans. It is not about politics! How to Attend: Tickets for the event are available through www.ticketweb.com or at the door. Very affordable ticket pricing has been set so that all can enjoy a nice maize &…

Photos of Fielding H. Yost through the years, from 1901 to 1940.

This was replayed this morning on WTKA 1050AM‘s Michigan Insider with Sam Webb and Ira Weintraub, and I thought I’d post it up here.  Here’s frequent WTKA call ‘Mark from Lansing’ dialing up the “Jack and Tom Show” from 1320AM in Lansing. Hosts Jack Ebling (longtime LSJ sports writer) and Tom Crawford (M fan, of bitterrivals.com fame)  were discussing the Demar Dorsey media circus when Crawford admitted his disapproval of Dorsey’s appearance.  This prompted the  spirited call from Mark, who had concerns about Crawdaddy’s views and along the way blasted Drew Sharp and called Terry Foster an Uncle Tom.    From the WTKA podcasts, the clip: [display_podcast] While Mark pounded away at Crawford, he didn’t say anything when Tom defiantly declared he had loads of black friends.  The “but I have black friends” defense  is pretty offensive on its own and didn’t help his explanation of the matter.

Wow nothing’s working.   So at the Camp Randall Classic Michigan struggled a bit in the first period, but seemed to dominate action in the second and for the majority of the third period.  I thought the first call on Summers that led to the Badgers’ equalizer was garbage.  The game winning shot was as gorgeous as it was devastating. I keep looking for a sign that things are changing–for any of these teams.   We saw a glimmer after the UConn win with hoops, and the January run of the hockey team made a playoff bid conceivable.   After the beautiful Lynch goal that put the Blue up 2-1 in Madison, and with the way the guys were  controlling the puck and dominating the pace, I thought that this might be it.   Gut punch. Play with the intensity exhibited in that game and they’ve got a shot to get in the playoffs via the regular season or by winning the tournament.   But it’s a long shot starting with the rare Tuesday game this week.   I’ll be up at Yost to take a look. Press Box. At the signing day media event I asked Bruce Madej if I could get a shot inside the stadium.  I was denied (for a few different reasons – safety, security, contractor policy, etc).   That said, those watching…

Via twitter thanks to @Michigan_Hockey and @JulieRobenhymer,  a few shots inside the squared circle of Camp Randall, preparing for today’s big game.  Of note, Chris Brown trying to smack a puck through the uprights and apparently no one made it, but Browny clanged one off the post: Caporusso and Rust dropping off-ice skills: Practicing: Get with the times, follow MVictors on Twitter.